the removal of the chance at normality
by oliveoil889
Summary: what happens when jack is killed by a snakehead assainan? will Alex be bent on revenge? where will he live? how will he cope without Jack? read to find out. disclaimer: I don't own alex rider.
1. coming home

Alex was happily walking home from school

Alex was happily walking home from school. In fact he was more than happy he was elated. This past week had gone just how he wanted. No, better than he had even taken the risk to want. MI6 had left him alone (except for that one meeting where he had been informed of his new security), most of his classmates had excepted him and now Sabina had visited and was staying for the whole month! At the moment his life was exactly how he wanted. Little did he know his marvelous and perfectly wonderful week was about to come to a shocking halt.

Alex came to a halt outside his house. He quickly walked up the walkway and on to the porch he opened the door and called "Jack, I'm h-" his voice came to a halt as he saw what was on the floor.

It was Jack.

on the floor

covered in blood

not moving

"Jack!" he finally was able to cough out. He ran to her side and checked for her pulse.

There was none.

"Oh. Jack" he whispered tears already running down his face. He turned around when he heard a loud footstep. There was a man. He wore the loose black clothing that was the uniform of an assassin. The man cleared his voice and said "don't mourn. You'll be joining her soon." Then with dramatic slowness his hand reached for his gun. Suddenly there was a loud shot Alex looked down waiting for the bullet to hit him. It never did. He looked up and saw the assassin lying dead on the ground blood encircling his head. Alex spun around to see where the bullet had come from. There in his doorway were to men that he guessed were his tail from MI6. The men were in action a second after he saw them. They moved and grabbed Alex. He was about to yell when he heard one of their husky voices say "Don't panic, we're bringing you to a more secure location. Though Alex didn't know if they were lying at the moment he didn't care. All he cared about was that Jack lay dead on the ground in front of him.So he allowed the agents to guide him into the car and pull away from his house speeding.

He didn't notice where he was headed until the car pulled to a stop outside of Royal& General bank. At the sight of the building he was filled with anger. _This is they're fault, _he thought, _If they hadn't made me work for them join them Jack wouldn't be dead._ So instead of letting the agents guide him into the building he ripped himself out of their grips and practically ran into the building tearing open the door ready to beat up anyone that got in the way of him yelling at Alan Blunt. He was about to enter the elevator when the agents from outside caught up to him. Surprisingly, they didn't try to stop him. He pushed the button for Blunt's floor and was soon barging out of the elevator followed by the two agents. He quickly found his office and threw open the door. A very surprised Blunt looked up at a very, very angry Alex and asked "Can I do something for you?" "Do you have any idea what just happened!?" roared Alex "Err. No" he replied Blunt. "Well let me fill you in." yelled Alex. "Jack has been killed." Blunt just sat there with his face set in a blank uncaring mask except for the faint reminder of the shock he'd had before "I'm sorry Alex" he said his voice showing otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh. Your sorry. Well I guess that changes everything doesn't it?" Alex said his voice filled with accusation and sarcasm "Yep, your sorry, now everything is fine because your sorry. Well guess what sorry doesn't change anything." Alan Blunt just looked at him finally he spoke "No, you're right, sorry doesn't change anything." there was a pause and Alex's anger burned out only to be replaced with a crushing grief.

Blunt then spoke to the agents that had been guarding him "bring him to the cafeteria" he said "I will call for him when I have where he'll stay worked out." The two agents walked out the door and Alex numbly followed. Alan Bunt turned and picked up the phone "Mrs. Jones. We have a situation." 30 seconds later Mrs. Jones appeared "in the door. "What is it?" she said. "The housekeeper was killed. Alex needs a place to stay." Blunt said in a bored voice "Where can we put him?" Mrs. Jones asked worriedly "I believe SAS training grounds will do. his old unit is back." "He won't like this." "that doesn't matter. He will stay on the SAS tranning grounds and train more." Mrs. Jones gave a sharp nod and turned to make some phone calls.

Alex sat and stared at his food. Now that his anger had left him he was full of greif and guilt. If Jack hadn't lived with him than she would still be alive. If he had let her pick him up from school like she wanted mabey he could have protected her. Alex looked up when one of the agent's phone's rang. He mrmured into it and snapped it shut. He turned to Alex "Your new temporary gaurdian will meet us here in two hours." Alex nodded his head and returned to his guilty thoughts.

Two hours later Alex was still in the same position he had held for the last hour. He was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice say "You have got to be freaking kidding me."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I don't own alex rider**_

Wolf. Wolf. Why the hell is he here? thought Alex. Finally he asked the question, and hoped that the answer wasn't what he thought it was "what are you here for" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" responded Wolf.

Why not? thought Alex may as well tell him "I'm waiting for my new guardian to pick me up." Wolf stared at him then turned on the two agents sitting next to him. "He's not the agent I need to pick up for training. Right?" he asked though his voice showed he already knew it was and by asking he was only trying to rid himself of his fears. The agents stood up "You're from the SAS, correct?" one asked, Wolf nodded. "Then you are here to pick him up. I need to see identification then the two of you can leave." By the time the Agent had finished talking Wolf looked like he was going to blow. He quietly handed the agent his badge and walked to the elevator. Alex not knowing what else to do followed.

Outside there was an army jeep parked in front of the building, Wolf got in and Alex followed. He looked over at Wolf, his face was still contorted with anger. For ten minutes he didn't speak. By then even through his grief Alex could feel the stressed atmosphere so he did the only thing he knew would relive him from his grief and Wolf's anger. He fell asleep.

Alex woke to a sudden stop in the jeep. He looked around. They were at the SAS training grounds. He looked at the clock. He'd been asleep for two hours. He looked outside. It was dusk. He looked at Wolf. He was still angry. Wolf jumpped out of the car and looked at him, his face was more relaxed than it was only seconds ago. "We need to report to Sargent" he said coldly then spun on his heel and walked away. Alex ran to catch up with him and folowed him to where Sargent was standing waching soldiers run the assualt course. The Sargent turned as they aproched him he glanced at Alex and turned to face Wolf "Cub will be staying with your unit until you ship off again" he said and turned back towards the assualt course.

Alex looked at Wolf. He looked loke he was going to explode. Afraid of him lashing out at him with that anger he hurridly folowed him when he ran over to his team's barrack. When he entered the Barrack with Wolf three men looked up from their conversation "Wolf, clam d-" a man Alex didn't recognise began then he was cut off by Egal who was sitting next to him "Cub?" he asked in surprise."

"Yeah" Alex tierdly awnsered. A silence followed

"What the hell are you doing here, Cub?" Snake finally asked. Alex froze as he remembered Why he was here. Cause Jack had... Alex ignored the question and walked over the fith bed that was squezed into the hut, sat down turned away from the others burried his face in his hands and thought. He heard them resume their conversation but blocked out the noise. He didn't move until he heard Eagle speak to him "Cub" he said "You asleep or something?" to awnser his question Alex flopped onto his stomach and pulled the pillow over his head. In the background he heard Eagle mutter "I'll take that as a no."

There was a loud shout and Alex woke from a sleep he didn't rember falling into and jumped out of bed ready to protect himself. He didn't relax his defencive stance until he heard someone say "Jesus Cub. Relax." Alex's head shot around and he remembered that he was in and SAS training camp. He saw two figures by the door and quickly asked "Where are we going?"

"Midnight swim." was his only reply.

So Alex followed the K-Unit to the river where the Sargent was already waiting. "You have thirty minutes to finish the course. I'll be at the finish line." then he turned to Alex "Cub" he said "I have been told that while you're here you are to do the same drills as the other soldiers with the same time limet. So I expct you to finish within the thirty minutes assinged" he addressed the whole group again "Begin." he said.

Alex quickly jumped into the water not letting his body react to the shock of the freazing water, and began to swim. The K-Unit was not slow to follow. Three minutes later Alex was pleased to find that while in the back of the group he was keeping up. The cold was starting to make him shiver though and he didn't see how he could put up with it for another twenty-seven minutes. Twenty minutes later he found himself his chest throbbing violently at the point of his old bullet wound and himself shivering so badly he could barely breath. He was lagging behind the rest of the unit and was now doubting his ability to finish the course. A moment later he saw the Sargent standing on the side of the bank and his team mates were already pulling themselves out of the river. Alex summoned the rest of his streangth and speed towards the Sargent makeing it there in little under a minute. He draged him self out of the river and was hit by the cool night breaze. As the breaze hit him he if posible got even colder, his body reacted instinctivly and he curled up in a ball. The he heard a voice- it was Eagle's "Come on kid. We got towels over here." Alex heard 'we got towels' and that was all it took for him to be running towards where th K-Unit and the Sargnt were standing. Sure enough there were towels.

He ran over and puled at towel over himself and was immedeatly warmer. He folowed the K-Unit back to their bunks. When they arrived the first thing Alex did was strip of his soaking clothes and pulling on the the traning uniform. Now that he was in dry clothes he could think better, that's when he realized that the New guy was stareing at him "What?" Alex asked.

"What happened to you?" asked the New guy.

"What?" said Alex. Then he remebered. He had forgotten to hide his chest. The New guy must have seen all the scars. "Work." he awnsered. Trying to avoide the questioning. He doubted it would work though, because the rest of the K-Unit had heard them and looked just as curious as New guy.

"What dose he mean, what happened?" asked Snake.

"Nothing" replied Alex.

"Kid" said New guy "that was not nothing."

"What do you mean?" repeated Snake.

"He is covered" said New guy "in scars and brusies. I think I even saw a bullet scar there."

"What!" said Snake. That's when Alex remembered he was the team medic. He walked over to Alex and said "Take off you shirt." Alex just narrowed his eyes at him and turned away from him, Snake pulled him arowned again "Take off you shirt he repeated. Alex realized he wouldn't win this battle and with lots of grumbeling pulled off his shirt. He heared Wof and the others gasp. Finaly Sanke spoke. "How old is that?" he asked pointing towards the bullet scar on Alex's chest. He saw no point in lying so he awnsered "two months."

"Two months." Snake repeated. Alex nodded his head. Then Snake started yelling "Why the hell are you in traning? You should be in phycical therapy not SAS traning. You should have told us! You could have been hurt." The last sentence almost made Alex start laughing. I could have gotten hurt! how terrible! he thought. Once he had callmed down he looked up at Sanke and said "I'll be fine. I've already survived two **missions** since I got it. Tranning should be fine." Aparently that wasn't the right thing to say because Snake exploded.

"You've been on two missions while recovering from a bullet wound! Is MI6 trying to kill you!?..." When Snake had finally run out of steam he sat down he asked "When was the first mission after you were shot?"

Alex was almost afraid to awnser so in a quiet voice he said "The day I was discharged." Suprisingly it was not Snake but Wolf that started up. "Why the hell would your parents allow that to happen?" he said angrily.

"The're dead." awnsered Alex quietly. Wolf's face softened. the he asked more kindly

"Your godparents?" Alex stifened as he remembered what Ash had done to him, and how he died.

"Dead" Alex wispered. Wolf's face was now a mask of sorrow

"Your gaurdian?" Alex stifened again as he remembered what had happened to Ian. That MI6 was his legal gaurdian. That Jack had been killed trying to take care of him.

"MI6 is my gaurdian." he awnsered softly. He looked up. Wolf looked angry again, but he didn't say anything.

"How did you get shot?" New guy asked.

"Confidental." replied Alex. New guy looked like he wanted to question him further but a look at Alex's stern face told him he wouldn't get any awnsers. He turned to Eagle. "You aren't going to start yelling are you?" he asked him. Eagle shook his head but then stopped and asked "Why were we told when you had apendicitis but not when you got shot? I thought getting shot was more serious." Alex looked at him. His expresion went from serious to amused in seconds. "When you were told I had appendicitis I didn't really. That was when I had been shot."

"oh."

He looked up at the K-Unit. "Can I go to sleep now? I've awnsered all your little questions and I'm really want to sleep." They all looked at him faintly amused and nodded. "Good" he muttered back at them.

Alex turned away from them, lay down on his bed and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex felt a hand on his shoulder and reacted instinctively, grabbing the hand and twisting it punching into the air where he assumed the face would be. Right after he felt the fist connect he heard a voice "What the hell kid?" the voice yelled. Alex opened his eyes to see the new guy standing there clutching his jaw. "Sorry." he mumbled.

"Cub, you really need to relax." said Eagle across the room.

"Yeah." agreed the New Guy. Suddenly Alex realised he still didn't know the new guy's name so he turned to him "What's your name? I keep on referring to you as New Guy."

The new guy looked at him annoyed "My name's Badger and your newer than me so I don't see why you'd call me New Guy." In the background Eagle started laughing "What?" Badger shot in Eagle's direction.

"Cub's been here way longer than you. Almost a year." He answered. Badger was about to reply when Wolf and Snake walked in the door.

"We have target practice." he said then he turned to Alex "do you know how to shoot?" he asked. Alex nodded "Good," said Wolf "We still need to evaluate you though." again Alex nodded his head. Alex and the rest of the unit followed Wolf out the door. They picked up some guns and ammo and walked to the shooting range. Alex was unsurprised to see that there was another team there he was surprised though when he saw who the other team was.

"Sparks? Scooter? Texas, X-Ray?" he called out. The whole K-Unit looked at him surprise written on their faces and the Australian SAS Unit turned to look at him.

"Alex?" they said.

"Yeah." he answered.

"What are you doing here?" asked X-Ray as his unit walked over to Alex.

"Training. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Australia?"

"We got here a two days ago. Were here because they want to make sure the British and Australian SAS work together well in case something like what you helped us with happens again." answered Scooter.

"Cub. How do you know them?" asked Wolf.

"Alex helped us out about a week or so ago." Said Sparks answering the question for him.

"Why were you in Australia?" asked Eagle.

"He came from outer space." joked/ answered Texas

"Really, why?" said Eagle

"He really came from outer space." answered Texas. Eagle was answering when there was a loud shout from behind them "I didn't know this was a cocktail party." yelled Sargent "Get to work!"

Both units turned and ran back to their targets. "So" said Wolf turning to Alex "I need to evaluate you. Here take ten shots at that target and we'll see how you do." Wolf handed him a gun and pointed to a target. Alex nodded and using his training with Scorpia fired ten shots. Eight of them went strait into the bull's eye through the same hole while the other two were only centimeters off.

"Wow." said Eagle giving a low wistle "Who taught you how to shoot?" Remembering Scorpia Alex fell back into the depression that he had been momintarily lifted from. "People" he murmered and looked down.

"Well" said Wolf "Your pretty good at that. Now try with this one." continued Wolf handing Alex another gun. So it went for the next hour Alex shooting then switching guns and getting questioned about who had taught him to shoot he always replied with "People" and would return to shooting.

By the end of the hour Alex was completely fed up with being asked the same question and when Eagle asked him again he almost yelled the awnser. In his anoyance though he forgot to say "people" and yelled out "Scorpia!"then the K-Unit stared at him and the Australian Unit looked at him as well with shock on all of their faces. There was Silence, dead Silence as they stared at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Shit. thought Alex, did I just say Scorpia? He looked at the shocked faces of the soldiers around him. Yep. I did. "Did- did you just say Scorpia?" asked X-Ray.

"Um, yeah." said Alex scrambeling to find a cover story "I uh was on undercover mission." The faces of the units around him were suspicious now.

"Your lying." said Badger "Yeah" agreed Wolf and the others.

"No I'm not." answered Alex. Now that he had a cover story he lied smoothly. They still didn't believe him. The damage had already been done.

"Yes you are." said Snake. They two units were now closing in on him. Alex knew that there was no way out of this situation.

"Fine." he said "but if you don't mind I'd like to do this somewhere more private." he continued nodding towards the unit that was arriving.

A few minutes latter Alex found himself sitting on his bunk surrounded by eight SAS soldiers. "So why did Scorpia train you?" asked Eagle. Alex took a deep breath, he had decided that it would be best to tell the truth because he knew that if he got caught in the lie he would be in some big trouble.

"About two months ago I went- I guess you could say I went rogue." He heard a deep intake of breath. "I'm not anymore." he assured them. They relaxed only the slightly. "I was told something. By an assassin to go to Venice and find Scorpia to find my destiny." There was a gasp at the name Scorpia.

"And you listened?" asked Texas incredulously.

"Well- at the time I didn't know what Scorpia was. And I was angry. Very angry. There was a threat I became aware of during a vacation a told MI6 but they wouldn't help me. They wouldn't even believe me. I ended up having to take care of it my self and half the world was almost blown up because they wouldn't listen. So I went to Venice and found Scorpia. I- well the first time they saw me they tried to kill me. The next time- they offered me a job. I took it and they trained me. To be an assassin. After a week I was give an assignment- to kill Mrs. Jones. Well I got in and even pulled the trigger but there was bullet proof material that stopped it. I got caught by MI6. Then I found out that MI6 was going to kill all the schoolchildren in London. Including me. So I went back to MI6 and stopped Scorpia in the process killing one of their leaders. So they shot me. I survived. Since then I have done one mission for the CIA and one for the ASIS." I finished taking a deep breath.

I looked at your faces the were all shocked on some faces he thought he saw a little bit of anger on some faces. "MI6, they just- didn't care that you tried to kill the assistant head of MI6?" asked Eagle.

"Well they needed me. And I've been forgiven, there was another reason I agreed to go after Mrs. Jones. It's personal though."

"What about the CIA and ASIS?" asked X-Ray

"Well, they didn't really know." As a response he got more surprise.

"What did you do? In the other missions, I mean?" asked Snake.

"That's Classified." answered Alex more comfortable now that the subject was off Scorpia.

"Oh Come on!" said Eagle. After a stern look from Alex he revised his question "How many missions have you been on?"

"Including Scorpia and the self-employed one. Seven." answered Alex.

"Wow." breathed Eagle. Alex looking around the room he saw that Scooter, Texas, Sparks, Wolf and Badger weren't to sure abut forgiving him.

"Look, Scooter, Texas, Sparks when we went after Dr. Three and Royal Blue I didn't turn on you. Isn't that proof enough that I'm on your side?" Thy all seemed to agree on that and looked guilty now. He didn't know what to do about Badger and Wolf so he said addressing the whole group "If your all done questioning and judging me I would like to be excused. I need to think." They nodded and Alex walked out of the room. He really did need to think.


End file.
